Altrius Capital Management Inc Sells 881 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Altrius Capital Management Inc lessened its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,001 shares of the company’s stock after selling 881 shares during the period. Philip Morris International comprises approximately 1.6% of Altrius Capital Management Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $5,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% in the third quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,457,000 after acquiring an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 504.9% in the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after buying an additional 19,127 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,125,000 after purchasing an additional 201,294 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,134,000 after acquiring an additional 16,035 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after acquiring an additional 6,605 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $153.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $239.37 billion, a PE ratio of 34.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $132.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.47. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $158.39.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. Research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.